Chapter 185 — Realization [1] - Awakening

"The structure of Great Knights is indeed peculiar. This person is completely different from ordinary people. He’s not so much of a human but more like... a tree?", Liora whispered.

This was a strange term that should have never been used to describe a human. Yet strangely, Liora felt it was very apt and fit the case perfectly.

With the Life Seed being its heart and the bones and muscles being its branches, a tree seemed to have grown inside the captain’s body.

The Life Seed coursing through his body seemed nothing more than the oxygen that the "tree" naturally breathed out, and the power it provided seemed nothing more than a byproduct.

Although Liora was a Devil and had seen countless terrifying creatures during her short life, including a Bamboo Devil at that, it was the first time that she had seen such a peculiar being.

Shaking her head, Liora noted down her findings and shifted her focus back to the unconscious captain.

Under her care, the wound on his abdomen and the cuts across his skin had healed by now.

It seemed as if nothing had changed from the time of his kidnapping.

No, in fact, the captain looked better than ever.

His strength had improved greatly, and he had reached the peak of the Great Knight rank.

Only an opportunity was missing, and he would be able to become a King of Knights.

Of course, rather than calling it an opportunity, it would be better to call it an item.

"His strength can no longer improve, no matter how much blood I inject into him. It seems that beast blood cannot help him undergo a transformation.", Liora realized.

She hesitated for a brief second.

Should she try to see what would happen if she gave the captain a Bloodline, or should she put an end to the experiment?

Soon, Liora made a decision.

"There’s no reason to hesitate. I already possess three Bloodline Seeds. Even if an accident occurs and something goes awry, the losses will be minimal."

With that in mind, Liora’s mind moved, and the Bloodline Seed that the Commander had just delivered to her appeared above her palm.

Controlling it with her demonic energy, she made it float towards the captain and touch him.

Surprisingly, the captain’s skin and flesh seemed like a decoration in front of the Bloodline Seed.

The orb easily passed through them as if they were an illusion and entered the captain’s body without encountering any obstruction.

Once it did, Liora was no longer required to do anything.

The Bloodline Seed moved on its own and flowed towards the Life Seed in the captain’s abdomen, then slowly integrated into it.

Liora found nothing noteworthy throughout this process.

Everything seemed to be going perfectly, exactly how it was supposed to be.

But strangely, she felt a sense of disharmony in what she was seeing.

She was about to shake her head and dismiss this strange feeling when a barrage of whispers echoed within her ears.

Instantly, Liora felt her vision go blurry, and the space in her eyes trembled.

Her mind grew dizzy as Void Whisper activated on its own and seemed to try to convey something.

Although Void Whisper had been activated and had given her information many times before, it was the first time that its effects were so intense.

Even when Liora faced the being suspected of having reached the peak of the Lesser Devil stage, there had been no such warning.

"What’s wrong? Could it be that there is an enemy coming?", Liora wondered and expanded her consciousness.

But no matter how much she checked, she discovered nothing.

Her gaze then shifted to the Bloodline Seed.

She understood that this was the only thing in the room that could possibly cause such changes.

But no matter how much she tried, the Bloodline Seed remained the same. Shining beautifully, it seemed harmless.

Such a situation made Liora feel itchy.

It was like hearing a phone alarm but being unable to find it to turn it off.

In desperation, she could only use her abilities one after another to try and find the source of the sudden unease.

Shadow Manipulation, Myriad Devils Body, Spear of the Blighted Sun...

Liora activated them one after another, but to no avail.

It was only when she gave it a last try and activated her final and only self-developed ability, Tongue of the Abyss, that there was a reaction.

The moment the inexplicable and garbled words escaped her mouth, they shot out and bounced off the walls and other objects in the room before turning back to Liora.

Their movements gave Liora an overview of the room, like the sonic waves of a bat.

But what she interpreted from these "sonic waves" was completely different from what she was seeing.

"How could it be?!", Liora couldn’t help but exclaim.

For the first time in a long time, she actually lost her composure.

Her focus shifted back to the captain. Or more accurately, shifted to the Life Seed on his abdomen.

Instantly, it looked as if the illusion messing with her had been shattered.

What she was seeing finally matched the result of Tongue of the Abyss’s investigation.

The previous scene, of an orb flowing towards the Life Seed and gently entering it, disappeared.

Another, entirely different scene unfolded before Liora’s eyes.

The Bloodline Seed was no longer a shining orb, but resembled an egg.

Its surface was broken and half-cracked, as a strange creature climbed out of these gaps and crawled towards the Life Seed.

It looked like an insect, with six eyes, two antennae, and six legs covered in a carapace, while many rows of razor-sharp teeth hid inside its mouthparts.

Using the limbs and these teeth, it tore the Life Seed apart and jumped into it.

As mentioned before, Liora had seen countless creatures.

Some were terrifying, others were imposing, while others were simply ugly.

But it was the first time in her life that she had seen a creature so disgusting.

The disgust did not arise only because of the creature’s appearance, but seemed to stem from deep within her bloodline.

Suppressing this feeling, Liora continued observing the creature.

Under her gaze, the insect drilled into the Life Seed and opened its mouth wide. Then, it took a bite out of it.

Vitality flowed out of the Life Seed and entered its mouth, while the insect exhaled a wave of energy.

It was as if the insect was feasting on the Great Knight’s vitality, and this wave of energy was its rent.

The energy it exhaled coursed through the captain’s body.

Immediately, his aura, which previously could not improve any further, began to increase yet again.

A deafening bang echoed throughout the room only a second later.

The aura of the captain broke through a certain limit, advancing to the rank beyond.

Shockingly, with the integration with the insect-like creature, the captain had managed to become a King of Knights!

Just when Liora thought that everything was over, though, new changes occurred.

The insect curled up in the Life Seed seemed to detect her existence. It let out a shrill cry, and the next moment, the eyes of the captain opened wide.